The Elder was quite surprised. David Carter's actions made him feel that the other person couldn't possibly be so young, as if he had experienced the vicissitudes of life. In fact, he didn't know that David Carter's personality was such that he could accept anything, except suffering a loss. Whoever treated him well, he would treat them even better. But if anyone treated him badly, he would be even worse in return. He was kind but not docile, clever but not cunning, proud but not arrogant. In David Carter's eyes, his persuasion was a form of well-intentioned care.

"Young man, you're not from around here, are you? What brings you to Tanzhou?" The Elder was about to leave, but at this moment he stopped, asking with great interest.

"I'll find a job and settle down first," David Carter replied, his gaze intentionally or unintentionally glancing at the bag in The Elder's hand. What he felt was not a desire to possess, but a sense of comfort in his heart.

After graduating from college, he went south and worked for two years, but found it meaningless and decided it was better to return home to accompany The Old Man. He had never seen his parents since childhood; it was The Old Man who raised him. Now that he was grown, he felt it was wrong to let The Old Man stay alone on the mountain. But after less than a month at home, The Old Man kicked him out.

The whole thing started when he bought an ancient jade from a street stall in the south, intending to give it to The Old Man. But The Old Man just weighed it in his hand and tossed it back to him. He casually wore it around his neck, but one day while practicing breathing exercises on the mountain, the jade suddenly disappeared.

Ever since then, he liked to sleep in the village ancestral hall or in old houses. This scared The Old Man badly. In the past, if he fancied a girl from the village, and now if he did something disgraceful, The Old Man would have no face to stay in the mountains.

"Young people should be brave and strive forward," The Elder said with a smile.

David Carter wanted to ask what was in The Old Man's bag, but just as he was about to, a car suddenly stopped in front of The Elder. A young woman stepped out, wearing a white shirt and jeans. Although her outfit was similar to David Carter's, she looked bright and attractive, while David Carter seemed a bit old-fashioned. He didn't see her face, but from the side, she seemed to be a very beautiful girl.

She was clearly very close to The Elder. After getting out of the car, she took his arm, took his bag, helped The Elder into the car, then got in herself, closed the door, and the car sped away.

Watching the car disappear into the distance, David Carter suddenly felt a bit melancholy—not because of The Elder, but because of the bag in The Elder's hand. The reason he agreed to leave home this time wasn't because of The Old Man's worries, but because he wanted to find an answer. Why had he suddenly become inexplicably interested in certain things? At his age, he should be most interested in girls, but in fact, he seemed to have a fondness for old things.

This made him quite anxious for a while, to the point that he didn't even dare to tell The Old Man, and it was the same with the jade. Rather than let The Old Man worry, it was better to seek the answer himself.

Chapter Two: An Unexplainable Attraction

Back on the train, David Carter had bought a map of Tanzhou and studied it carefully. He knew that when he left the train station, directly opposite was Tanzhou's largest commercial street: Wuyi Road. Although he wanted to find answers, the first thing he had to solve was the problem of making a living. Only by finding a job would he have the chance to seek the answers in his heart; otherwise, everything would be empty talk.

Carrying his simple luggage, David Carter walked west along Wuyi Road. The further he went, the more he felt as if something ahead was attracting him. To be precise, it was as if something was calling him, making him follow his feelings involuntarily.

Following Wuyi Road westward, after more than an hour, he reached the banks of the Tan River in Tanzhou. The Tanjiang Bridge was built in the early years after the founding of the country and has always been the link between the east and west sides of Tanzhou. David Carter had grown up in the mountains and forests; he had seen small streams and rivers, but this was the first time he had seen a river as wide as a thousand meters. Leaning on the railing and gazing out, the surging river was magnificent. On the other side, the lights were bright and dazzling, stirring the imagination.

But David Carter did not cross the river. From the map, he saw that the west side of the Tan River mainly had a mountain called Tanshan, with several universities at its foot. But the real city center was on the east side, with wide roads and bustling commercial areas. His future living environment should be here. Moreover, there was an unexplainable attraction on this side, drawing him here involuntarily.

The reason David Carter would unconsciously run to sleep in the village ancestral hall at night, or spend the night in the old man's attic, was actually a subconscious behavior. This was his secret, one he hadn't even told The Old Man. In the past, David Carter always regarded the mountains and forests as home. Every morning before sunrise, he would sit on a rock, facing east, practicing the breathing exercises The Old Man had taught him.

The Old Man had taught him this set of breathing techniques for self-cultivation and health when he had just learned to walk. After moving to the mountains, The Old Man had continued to practice, feeling refreshed and greatly benefited in body and mind. He had learned it from an ancient book, and after practicing it himself, he taught it to David Carter so he could strengthen his body.